Station-indicator



L. KEELING. STATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 5 I917.

Patented Feb. 24, 1920.

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Patented Feb. 24, 1920.

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FRANKLIN 5T.

L. KEELING.

STATION INDICATOR.

APPLlCATlON FILED JULY}5,19I7.

Patented F870 2%, 1920.

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@vwamioz LLOYD KEELING, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

STATION-INDICATOR.

Application filed July 5,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LLOYD KEELING, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Station-Indicators; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in station indicators, my object being to provide a construction adapted for use in street and other cars, where it is important for the passengers to be advised as to the location of the various streets or stations along the route. The advantages of a construction of this kind are generally realized, since nearly everyone has had personal experience in ascertaining the proper street at which he desires to leave the car, particularly at night, and even during the day where he is not familiar with the streets in the section of the city or country throughwhich he is traveling.

My improvement is adapted to be controlled by a person in charge of the car. If it is a trolley street car, the proper person to control the indicator is the motorman, and the controlling device, as a lever, will be so arranged that it is accessible to him, and in such construction preferably that it may be operated by foot pressure.

The power which I prefer to employ in operating my improved indicator, is electricity, a small motor being arranged in the car, through which the circuit is intermittently closed and broken. The motorman by the simple pressure of his foot may close the circuit through the motor, while the mechanism of the indicator is arranged to auto matically break the circuit and stop the travel of the curtain or apron upon which the names of the streets and other information appear. 1

Having briefly outlined my improvement I will proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof. In this drawing:

Figure l is a front elevation of my im- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 24, 1920.

1917. Serial No. 178,601.

proved station indicator with the cover removed to disclose the operating mechanism.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation with the motor removed and the circuit diagrammatically illustrated.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross section of a car showing my indicator in place and on a smaller scale. I

Fig. 4k is a section taken on the line 4-4=, F ig. 1 looking toward the right. V

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 55, Fig. 1 looking toward the left.

Let the numeral 5 designate a casing adapted to conceal the mechanism of the in dicator, except a portion of the name c'urtain or apron 6, the latter being mounted to engage two drums 7 and 8 and two rollers 9 and 10 arranged above the drums, the drums and rollers being journaled in side plates 12 and 13 which are suitably spaced for the purpose. The extremities of the name curtain 6 are respectively connected with the two drums 7 and 8. The drums 7 and 8 are arranged to be respectively rotated through the instrumentality of two gears 14 and 15, the latter being respectively mounted on hubs 16 and 17, which are fast on shaft members 18 and 19 whose inner extremities are respectively connected with the drums 7 and 8 in such a manner that the drums may be readily removed by moving the shaft members 18 and 19 endwise and toward the right (see Fig. 1) against springs 20 and 21 which engage shoulders with which the shafts are provided, the opposite ends .of the springs engaging stationary stops 22 and 23. The gear 14 meshes with a small pinion 24 fast on a shaft 25, journaled in a plate 26 to which is secured a relatively long sleeve 27. which forms a support for the shaft. The pinion 2 1' also meshes with a gear 28 loose on the operating shaft 29, and whose hub 30 is provided with a clutch member 31 adapted to cooperate with the clutch face 32 of a clutch 33, which is splined on the shaft 29 and also provided with a second clutch face 34:, which is arranged to cooperate with a clutch member 35 formed on the hub of a gear 36, which is also loose on the operating shaft 29. The gear 36 meshes with the gear 15, which is fast on the shaft 19. as heretofore explained. The clutch 33 is shiftable on the operating shaft 29, whereby its faces 32 and 34 may be alternately brought into engagement with the clutch members 31 and 35 of the loose gears 28 and 36, according as it is. desired to cause the name curtain or apron to travel in the one direction or the other.

The operating shaft 29 is journaled in the plates 12, 13 and 26 and is located between the two drums 7 and 8. The extremity of this shaft remote from that upon which the clutch 33 is mounted, is equipped, as shown in the drawing, with a pulley 37, whose periphery is grooved to receive a belt 38 connected with a small pulley 39 fast on the armature of the operating motor 40. Hence, when the motor is in operation, the shaft 29 is rotated in'a given direction. When it is desired to cause the name curtain to travel in a given direction, as that indicated by the arrow or in Fig. 1, the clutch 33 is shifted to cause its face 32 to engage the groove member 31 of the gear 28. The engagement of this clutch locks the gear 28 upon the operating shaft and causes the same to rotate therewith and through the medium of the pinion 24, the gear 14 and the shaft member 8, the drum 7 is caused to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow 5 (see Fig. 4) thus causing the name curtain 6 to be unwound from the drum 8 and wound upon-the drum 7. When it is desired to cause the name curtain to move in the oppo' site direction, the clutch 33 is shifted to cause its face 34 to cooperate with the clutch member 35 of the gear 36, thus rotating the gear 36 and the gear 15, to rotate the drum 8 in a direction to wind the name curtain thereon and unwind it from the companion drum 7. The clutch 33 may be shifted on the operating shaft through the medium of any suitable mechanism. As shown in the drawing, an arm 41 is provide at one we tremity with a bifurcation 42 which engages a circumferential groove in the clutch 33, the opposite end of the arm 41 being pivotally connected as shown at 43 withone 1extremity of a link 44, the opposite extremity of ,the link being 'pivotally connected, as s'hown'at 45, with a lever 46 fulcrumed at 47, itsarm 48 being accessible to the person in charge of the indicator.

As shown in the drawing the motor circuit may be closed by moving, a pin 49 against a spring contact 50, one extremity of which is secured to an insulating block A, as shown at 51. i This spring is normally held in the full line position (see Fig. 2) by irtue of it wn tension, but when the pin is moved toward the right in this view the contact 50 is brought into engagement with a leaf spring 52, whereby the circuit is closed through a battery and also through a. coil 54 surrounding a soft iron core 53, this core being arranged in such proximity to the movable end of the spring contact 50 as toact upon said contact to hold it in the circlosed through the coil 54. In other words, this coil and the core 53 constitute an electro-magnet and when the latter is energized, as it is by the closing of the battery circuit,

the contact spring is held in the circuit closing position, this spring, however, being m1- tially moved to this position manually, as through the medium of a bell cranklever 56, fulcrumed at 57 and provided with a rela' tively short arm 58 and a long arm 59. The short arm may be acted on by the foot '(see Fig. 2) of a person in charge of the indicator, as the motorman of a street car. the arm 58 of this lever is pressed downwardly toward the floor or other surface 60, the lever will be actuated to shift the pin 49 toward the right to cause the spring contact 50 to close the circuit, as heretofore explained. One terminal of the coil 54'is connected by means of a conductor 61 with the spring contact 52, while from the contact 50 a conductor 62 leads to one pole of the battery 55. From the opposite pole of this battery a conductor 63 leads to the motor 40, while from the motora conductor 65 leads to one of the metal plates 12 of the structure. Anupper plate member 66'forms in reality a part of the plate 12. Upon this plate member 12 is mounted a spring contact 67 which is insulated from said plate, as shown at 68. Electrically connected with the contact 67 is a conductor 69 which leads to the opposite terminal of the coil 54. A shaft 70 is journaled in the plate 66 and in acompanion plate 71 at the opposite extremity of the machine, the same being mounted upon the plate 13 and forming in reality a part thereof. This shaft 7 0 extends across the machine parallel with the main operatingshaft 29, but located considerably above the same, the shaft 70 being arranged between the two rollers 9 and 10, which are journaled in the two plate members 66 and 71, the said rollersv being "respectively equipped at one extremity of the machine with gears 72 and 73, both of'which mesh with a gear 74, which is mounted on the shaft 70. By virtue of the fact'that the upper portion or run of the name curtain 6 engages the tworollers 9 and 10 when the, curtain is in motion, these rollers are ro will be actuated by virtue of the gearing connection between the said shaft and the two rollers. To the outer extremity of the shaft 70 at one end of the machine is secured a metal disk 7 5, which" is normally in 'en;' gagement with the spring contact 67. This disk 75, however, carries a projection 76 composed of insulating material and every time the shaft 70 makes a complete revolution, the insulated projection 76 engages the contact 67 and forcesthe same out of contact with the peripheral face of the disk and breaks the motor circuit. It will be un' tated, and during this-rotation the shaft- 70 derstood that when the circuit is closed and the magnet, which is composed of the coil 54 and the core 53, energized, the magnetic influence acts on the spring 50, which is provided at its upper extremity with a soft iron part, to hold the spring contact 50 in the circuit closing position, or in electric engagement with the spring contact 52. When, however, the circuit is broken by the engagement of the insulating part 76 with the spring contact 67, whereby the last. named contact is disengaged from the metal disk 75, the said magnet is, of course, deenergized and the spring contact 50 will, of course,-

return to its normal position, out of engagement with the spring contact 52. Hence, the motor circuit will remain broken and the movement of the curtain will cease until the circuit is again closed by actuating the bell crank lever 56, or in any other suitable manner. When the circuit is closed by the manual operation of the pin 49 and the spring contact 50, it will remain closed and the motor will continue to operate ust long enough to actuate the name curtain sufficiently to bring a new street number into view, being the next street which the car line will cross.

In further explanation of the electric circuit, the current may be said to pass from one pole of the battery 55 through the conductor 62 to the spring contact 50 and thence through the cotiperating contact 52, thence through the conductor 61 to one terminal of the coil 54, thence through said coil to the opposite terminal thereof, and thence through the conductor 69 to the spring contact 67, thence through said contact to the metal disk 75, and thence through the plate member 66 and the plate 12 to the conductor 65 and to the motor 64, and thence, from the motor to the opposite pole of the battery 55.

Assuming that the clutch 33 is in the neutral position, as shown in Fig. 1, if it is desired to actuate the curtain in the direction indicated bythe arrow at in said figure,-the clutch will be shifted to bring its face 33 into engagement with the clutch member 31. At the same time the lever 56 will be actuated to move the pin 49 sufficiently to cause the spring contact 50 to engage the coijperating contact 52. This will close the motor circuit and actuate the name curtain by virtue of the construction and arrangement of parts heretofore described. This movement will continue until the circuit is broken by the engagement of the insulating part 76 with the spring contact 67, when the motor will stop. Just before, or at any time before, the next street is reached, the circuit will be again closed and the name curtain will again be actuated to bring the name of the next street nto View.

After the car has traveled over the line in one direction it will be assumed, for the purpose of this specification, that it makes a loop, and that the front end of the car in which the indicator is located will also be rollers 7 7 and 78 are mounted on the plate members 66 and 71, being supported by links 79, which are pivotally connected with the frame members, as shown at 80; These links are acted on by springs 81, whose tendency is to press the rollers into engagement wit the name curtain on the outside, and in opposing relation to the two rollers 9 and 10, thus insuring the operation of these rollers when the name curtain is in motion, and further insuring the proper operation of the shaft and its disk 75, carrying the insulating member 76 for breaking the motor circuit after the name curtain has traveled a suflicient distance to bring the proper street name into view through the glass cov ered opening 82 with which the front of the casing of the indicator is provided (see Fig. 3)

Attention is called to the fact that the lever 56 is normally held in a position to allow the spring contact 50 to assume its normal position, or that shown by full lines in Fig. 2, by a spring 83.

Hcretofore I have explained the manipulation of the name curtain in the event that a car travels over the same route in both directions. Assuming now that the car makes a continuous circuit and returns to the starting point, the curtain will, of course, be moved in one direction during the entire trip. Hence, when it reaches the initial point it will be necessary to re-wind the curtain upon the drum from which it has been unwound during the trip in order to bring the initial street name into posi tion prior to starting on another trip. This may be done either by throwing the clutch 33 to reverse the travel of the curtain, the drums being operated by the motor; or the motor may be disconnected and the curtain may be re-wound by hand, as by the employment of a small crank (not shown.) For instance, when the clutch 33 is in the neutral position, as shown in Fig. 1, a hand crank may be applied to either of the drum shafts and the curtain quickly re-wound from the one to the other as may be required in order to commence the next trip. In this event, it would only be necessary to'have one extremity ofeach of the drum shafts fitted to receive a small hand crank.

In the drawing a single battery circuit is illustrated for both the motor 40 and the electro-magnet composed of the coil 54 and the core 53. If in practice it is found impracticable to employ the same battery or source of current for both the motor and the magnet, separate batteries or electrical sources of this strength maybe used. I have thought the present disclosure sufficient for the purposes of this application.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

A station indicator comprising a frame, a pair of drums journaled in the frame, a name curtain connected with said drum, rollers journaled in the frame and engaging the name curtain beyond the drums, whereby the rollers are actuated, a shaft, a gear ing connection between the rollers and the shaft, whereby the shaft is actuated as the name curtain is operated, a motor for operating the drums, a circuit for controlling the motor, means for manually closing the circuit and means operated from the said shaft for automaticallybreaking the circuit at suitably timed intervals, said means including a metal disk fast on the said shaftand forming a part of thecircuit, a metal contact normally engaging said disk, and

an insulating member carried by the disk and acting on said contact to disconnect it from the disk and break the circuit.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

LLOYD KEELING. 

